David Bridgman is Manager for the Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice of the World Bank Group, responsible for Southern and Central Africa. He also serves on the IFC Africa Management team. The Trade & Competitiveness Global practice supports governments and private sector in client countries to strengthen their national economic competitiveness, and increase international trade flows.

A South African national, David holds degrees from Johannesburg and Stellenbosch Universities in South Africa and a PhD in International Development from Cornell University in USA. His previous positions in the World Bank Group include managing MIGA’s Sub-Saharan Africa program, and management responsibility for building MIGA’s global investment promotion capacity building program. He moved to FIAS in 2005, from 2008 to 2014 he managed IFC’s Investment Climate program in Africa, leading a team which worked in over 40 of Sub-Saharan Africa’s countries. In addition to his extensive experience in Africa, he has gained extensive experience on economic development in fragile and conflict affected countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Prior to joining the World Bank Group, David established WESGRO, an economic development agency in the Western Cape of South Africa, which he led for 10 years through South Africa’s political transformation, when he was actively involved in a range of development matters. During his career, he has served on numerous public and public-private sector boards and has held teaching and research positions at universities in South Africa and the USA. David is married to Corrie, and has three adult children.